Although Plat'Home Co., Ltd., has been serving up Linux to the Japanese market
since 1992, the company is just now bringing its OpenMicroServer product
to North American shores via its US subsidiary. OpenMicroServer is
a small, tough, easy-to-use, easy-to-configure, low-cost Linux server
solution. It provides high reliability to customers who do not have
much extra room and are likely to ignore the machine for weeks or
months after installation. Key features include compact design (9"x4"x1.3"), integrated Power over Ethernet, stable long-term operation up to
122°F when using PoE functionality (based on a 625-day endurance test),
400MHz AMD Alchemy (MIPS) processor, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, one
100MBit Ethernet (PoE capable) port, two USB 2.0 ports and two serial ports.
Plat'Home is proud of its product's “Japanese characteristics”, meaning it
doesn't stand out, and it doesn't complain. It just gets the job done.

Quicker than most to find a new and interesting open-source topic,
Packt Publishing has released Deepal Jayasinghe's new book Apache
Axis2.
Apache Axis2 is a core engine for Web services with two different
implementations: Apache Axis2/Java and Apache Axis2/C. This book
takes readers through the basics of Web services and Axis2, as well as
details of Axis' architecture. It is a step-by-step practical guide
that uses many real-life examples. Some of the topics covered include
installation, AXIOM, pipes and interceptors, module concepts, session
management and more. The book assumes familiarity with Web standards,
such as SOAP, WSDL and XML parsing.

Author Edward Benson's intent with his new book The Art of Rails,
published by Wrox, is to pick up where the API leaves off and explain
how to turn good Rails code into beautiful Rails code: simple, effective,
reusable and evolvable. Benson wants you to think like a Rails developer
with quality, elegance and maintainability in mind. The Art of
Rails
blends design and programming, identifying and describing the very
latest in design patterns, programming abstractions and development
methodologies that have emerged for the modern Web. Readers will learn
topics such as techniques for organizing code between and within Model,
View and Controller; how to think like a REST-based developer and
use Rails 2.0 to translate these thoughts into code; advanced Ruby and
meta-programming; design patterns for AJAX, Web APIs, HTML decomposition
and schema development; and behavior-driven development. The book is
designed to advance the skills of developers already familiar with Rails.

Version 1.0 of the FreeIPA Project is now official. FreeIPA is an
integrated security information management solution that combines
Linux (currently Fedora, Fedora Directory Server, MIT Kerberos and NTP),
with a Web interface and command-line administration tools. Currently,
FreeIPA supports identity management, and plans to support policy and auditing
management will follow in future releases. The project developers state
that the use of standard protocols, such as LDAP and Kerberos, allows for easy
integration of other OSes into an IPA realm for centralized identity
management. The developers also encourage testing and deployment of
FreeIPA and are seeking feedback from the field.

Announcing more new games on the Linux platform is such a treat.
The game developer Paradox Interactive and the two-man Swedish developer
team, Frictional Games, have released a Linux version of its popular
game Penumbra: Black Plague. The Penumbra series, which includes
the new Penumbra: Black Plague and its prequel Penumbra:
Overture,
is a first-person adventure game that focuses on story, immersion and
puzzles. Instead of using violence to progress, players must use their
wits to guide Philip on his quest to unravel the past. Paradox says
that Penumbra “is very different from other adventure
games”. The games
feature a 3-D engine that utilizes cutting-edge technology, and it has
an advanced physics system that creates a new level of environmental
interaction. Players can open drawers, pull levers, pick up objects
and more, using natural mouse movements creating a highly interactive and
dynamic game world. The next game in the series, Penumbra:
Requiem,
is due out in Summer 2008, and it also will offer a Linux version.